Sweet and Sagehttp://sweetandsage.com
Tue, 01 Oct 2013 16:18:36 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1On Holdhttp://sweetandsage.com/hold/
http://sweetandsage.com/hold/#commentsTue, 01 Oct 2013 16:16:00 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=671Hi everyone. I’ve been doing some soul-searching lately, and although it makes me sad, I’ve decided to put Sweet and Sage on hold. I’m unable to keep up with the magazine posting schedule and still have time for my life coaching business, Sage Grayson Coaching. I just launched a new program called “The Editor Session” that’s all about editing out the draining parts of your life. Unfortunately, I decided to cut Sweet and Sage out of my life, at least {Read More}

I’ve been doing some soul-searching lately, and although it makes me sad, I’ve decided to put Sweet and Sage on hold. I’m unable to keep up with the magazine posting schedule and still have time for my life coaching business, Sage Grayson Coaching. I just launched a new program called “The Editor Session” that’s all about editing out the draining parts of your life. Unfortunately, I decided to cut Sweet and Sage out of my life, at least for now.

I am no longer accepting contributions, but who knows what the future will hold? I hope to return to Sweet and Sage sometime next year, perhaps in a completely new format.

It’s been a pleasure sharing sweet and sage advice with you, but I have to trust my heart…and it’s telling me to let Sweet and Sage go. I feel better about having more time for my business, but it’s still sad.

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/hold/feed/5You’re Not Alonehttp://sweetandsage.com/youre-alone/
http://sweetandsage.com/youre-alone/#respondTue, 17 Sep 2013 19:05:03 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=665I just wanted to pop in today to let you know about a very special post I have on my life coaching website. It’s about my suicide attempt, and it may be a bit “heavy” for a post on Sweet and Sage, but I still hope you’ll check it out. How Trying to Kill Myself Saved My Life PS, thank you so much for those of you who are sticking around even after my last Letter From the Editor. I’ll {Read More}

]]>I just wanted to pop in today to let you know about a very special post I have on my life coaching website. It’s about my suicide attempt, and it may be a bit “heavy” for a post on Sweet and Sage, but I still hope you’ll check it out.

PS, thank you so much for those of you who are sticking around even after my last Letter From the Editor. I’ll be talking about it more on Sage Grayson Coaching, but I feel like it’s time for me to be the editor of my own life, which means having less of a presence here on Sweet and Sage. I hope to someday build up Sweet and Sage the way I imagine it in my head, but for now, I need to focus on what feels right for me.

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/youre-alone/feed/0Become Your Own Best Teacherhttp://sweetandsage.com/become-best-teacher/
http://sweetandsage.com/become-best-teacher/#respondWed, 11 Sep 2013 08:00:51 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=637This is a guest contribution from Anne Marchessault. “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” Winston Churchill I admit when I was younger I got more excited about the back-to-school shopping associated with a new school year than I did about any chemistry formulas, European wars, or Shakespeare sonnets to be learned. When all you’re after is that “A” grade, it is easy to lose sight of the opportunity to gain useful knowledge {Read More}

“I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” Winston Churchill

I admit when I was younger I got more excited about the back-to-school shopping associated with a new school year than I did about any chemistry formulas, European wars, or Shakespeare sonnets to be learned.

When all you’re after is that “A” grade, it is easy to lose sight of the opportunity to gain useful knowledge and to instead just adapt to cramming the night before and forgetting minutes after the big final exam.

I am not a characteristically lazy person, and I realize now that this bare-minimum effort I put into my schooling had to do more with the style of learning than any lack of motivation: for the first 12 years of my education I had close to no control over my courses or teachers each semester. That changed some in college and graduate school, but I still found myself struggling through thick textbooks with content I knew would never relate to my life outside the classroom.

It’s easy in the “real world” to get complacent in whatever small arena of expertise is required of us in our nine-to-five jobs. But I decided recently to expand that small niche of knowledge to include a greater variety of disciplines that both excite me and enrich my interaction with the world, with no end-of-year report card to worry about.

Here are some (free!) ways through which I recommend becoming your own best teacher.

1. Listen to podcasts

It is amazing the value and variety of content made available for free download onto your mobile device. Most of us spend time commuting or doing chores each day. I find plugging into a podcast during time spent on those less-than-pleasurable tasks helps me learn new things while basically eavesdropping on someone else’s titillating conversation. Who doesn’t love that?

2. Follow anyone and everyone on Twitter

You would be astounded by the nuggets of wisdom to be gleaned from 140 characters or less. One connection leads to another and soon you’re following everyone from Oprah to Apartment Therapy to Letters of Note (one of my favorite accounts, wherein you get to read a celebrated individual’s personal letter from the past). I can see a picture of Earth from space, read about a dog befriending a deer, and learn how someone made a castle out of toothpicks all while waiting for my morning coffee to brew.

3. Talk to people outside your circle

I know, I know. You already have amazing, will-pick-up-the-phone-at-3:00 am friends and family. But there are literally billions of people to get to know out there—everyone from the kind-eyed woman who bags your groceries to the cute bartender with tattoos about which you’re dying to hear an explanation. Talk to them. People l-o-v-e love talking about themselves, and everyone has a story that’s different from yours. Maybe you’ll learn about a profession you could be interested in pursuing or discover a new hobby you didn’t know existed. And maybe you’ll even make a new friend who would not only pick up the phone at 3:00 am, but who would also come over with a pint of your favorite ice cream.

Taking control of your continuing education starts with figuring out what learning style works best for you. Not everyone can listen to a lecture, see words on a chalkboard, or study a textbook and come away with a definite idea of what was discussed and how to explain it to someone else. I know I can’t.

But “eavesdropping” on a conversation between 2 friends dishing relationship advice or following a successful entrepreneur’s snippets of professional wisdom—that I can do.

And, as an added bonus, gaining interesting tidbits from such sources will provide a nice ice breaker for when you finally chat up that intriguing bartender!

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/become-best-teacher/feed/0Book Review: 31 Days of Creative Homemaking for the Modern Day Womanhttp://sweetandsage.com/book-review-31-days-creative-homemaking-modern-day-woman/
http://sweetandsage.com/book-review-31-days-creative-homemaking-modern-day-woman/#commentsTue, 10 Sep 2013 08:00:33 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=658Today I’m pleased to review a brand new ebook from blogger Ashley Urke, the Domestic Fashionista. Ashley shares ideas for home décor, entertaining, and yummy meals on her blog, and she recently compiled her popular 31 Days series into a jam-packed resource, 31 Days of Creative Homemaking for the Modern Day Woman. This nearly 100-page beautifully designed ebook showcases Ashley’s unique take on homemaking. I consider myself a feminist, and I tend to bristle when I hear the terms homemaking {Read More}

This nearly 100-page beautifully designed ebook showcases Ashley’s unique take on homemaking.

I consider myself a feminist, and I tend to bristle when I hear the terms homemaking or housewife. To me, they conjure up images of 1950s women who were expected to cook, clean, look pretty, and not much else.

But Ashley states that even if your job is someplace outside of your house, you can still call yourself a homemaker. She writes, “I believe that we all are homemakers in one way or another in the sense that we make our house a home.”

When they assert themselves as breadwinners and independent women, some modern ladies forget to take pride in their personal space. I love this line from the introduction to the book: “It is in making your home life a priority that I believe will lead to much peace, happiness, and contentment in your life. Lets take back our homes together.”

Really, Ashley’s book is a call to action, not a throwback to the past.

I especially loved the “behind the scenes” look inside the drawers of her buffet and hutch. The organization of her serving trays, mason jars, table cloths, canning supplies, plates, silverware, and accessories is pretty astounding. Makes me want to throw a party!

For those of you who can never come to a decision with your partner about what to make for dinner (“I don’t know…what do you want?”), you’ll enjoy the meal planning tips plus the sample menus you can steal for yourself. She even included some no-brainer slow cooker recipes.

One of the (many) things in this ebook that had me nodding my head as I read is the idea of making your bed every morning. I feel like it sets the tone for the whole day, and everything seems possible when your bed is in order. And who doesn’t love falling into a beautiful bed at the end of a long day?

Before you think that Ashley must be some kind of Superwoman or robot, she freely admits that she can’t do it all and constantly strives for balance. I also appreciate how she repeatedly writes that you must find the routines and systems that work for you and your household.

And she’s just like the rest of us and writes, “I would say my number one distraction to getting my household tasks done is the internet.” So true.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ashley’s ebook, and it definitely inspired my to get more creative with my own homemaking. Her approach is so fresh and inviting that it will certainly make you feel capable of creating your perfect home in your own special way.

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/book-review-31-days-creative-homemaking-modern-day-woman/feed/5Always Learning With Domestic Fashionistahttp://sweetandsage.com/always-learning-domestic-fashionista/
http://sweetandsage.com/always-learning-domestic-fashionista/#respondFri, 06 Sep 2013 08:00:46 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=633This is a guest contribution from Ashley Urke. Back when I was in college, I loved to learn but hated the work. Meeting requirements of reading, writing papers, and giving presentations set me on a road to dreading school. As I am quite a few years out of that beautiful day of graduating, I often still struggle with the idea of learning. It brings back too many bad memories of late nights and falling asleep in class. As I get {Read More}

Back when I was in college, I loved to learn but hated the work. Meeting requirements of reading, writing papers, and giving presentations set me on a road to dreading school. As I am quite a few years out of that beautiful day of graduating, I often still struggle with the idea of learning. It brings back too many bad memories of late nights and falling asleep in class.

As I get older and learning is no longer based on a certain standard or scheduled out to me in a syllabus, I have found that how much I learn is based upon how much time I am willing to take to do it. To really better myself and be open to learning new things and different ways of thinking, I have to make the effort myself.

So as I consciously make a choice to continue learning throughout life, I am finding ways to learn that feel less like school so that I can enjoy and accept the process. Learning does not have to be a rigid process but instead can be a natural addition to my everyday life.

I watch my 2.5-year-old nephew a few times a week, and I am constantly amazed at how much he takes in. Whether it is baking cookies, going on a bike ride, or walking around at the mall, he is fascinated with the world and how everything works. I like to think that I take on learning a bit like an almost 3 year old.

To keep myself always learning, I try to find natural ways of learning that fit into my everyday life. I check out books from the library that seem interesting and meet with women who are a little older and wiser. I look for opportunities to give and serve others as seeing them fill up with joy sheds some light onto their life circumstances. I take time to get outside for a hike or bike ride so that I do not lose touch with the beauty that surrounds me. I Google any and everything so that I too can be a little more of an expert on how a peach tree thrives or how to make my own laundry detergent.

Learning for me is not so much about making a grade or being smart anymore. Learning is about becoming a better person and better understanding and sympathizing with the world around me. I find that it is the people who are just a little different from me that I enjoy spending time with because we each offer something else to the table. It is the new recipe or yoga move that encourages me and stretches me in skills I already attain but did not realize I could take a step further.

By always learning, I am always changing. By always changing, I am looking at life more like a 2.5-year-old. There is a lot to take in during this short lifetime and I do not want to miss out on the amazement that life brings before me.

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/always-learning-domestic-fashionista/feed/0Love, Learning, and Hot Yogahttp://sweetandsage.com/love-learning-hot-yoga/
http://sweetandsage.com/love-learning-hot-yoga/#commentsWed, 04 Sep 2013 08:00:59 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=628This is a guest contribution from Jordan Davis. I was gasping for new breath as I attempted to move into the downward dog position in a one hundred and five degree room; thoughts of regret and old, forbidden memories began to fill my head like violent waters gushing into an empty space. My breathing became shallower as each thought of every boy that ever walked into my life and broke my heart replayed in my head like an old familiar {Read More}

I was gasping for new breath as I attempted to move into the downward dog position in a one hundred and five degree room; thoughts of regret and old, forbidden memories began to fill my head like violent waters gushing into an empty space.

My breathing became shallower as each thought of every boy that ever walked into my life and broke my heart replayed in my head like an old familiar song along with the thoughts of sudden regrets for signing up for this new thing called “hot yoga.”

“Breathe this breath of life. This is your life. This breath is what is going to get you through.”

The resurrected thoughts vanished and once again my breathing became stronger and deeper and to my astonishment I was actually conquering the one-legged tree of life pose. As I stood there pouring sweat from every inch of my aching body I began to think how relationships were a lot like this hot yoga class.

Over the past couple of years of my young, adolescent life I have learned more about life, love, and boys than any book, scientist, or teacher could ever attempt to teach me. During the heartbreak, the pain, and every salty tear shed it was really hard to try and understand the meaning and reasoning behind it or trying to find the exact answer as to why this was all happening to me.

For most of us, we won’t find a high school sweetheart or a college love, get married, and live happily ever after.

For most of us, love is a battle, a challenge….a never-ending obstacle course.

We have to date and date and date. And kiss a million and one frogs until we finally find our prince.

It’s exhausting.

As with yoga, of course there is always those girls that are good at it during their first visit. They are able to do all the crazy, advanced poses while you’re sitting there in fetal position on your sweaty mat just trying to breathe normal again.

But while I was sitting there in a room of strangers, twisting my body is odd shapes and poses I discovered that through every failed relationship, bad memory, and broken heart I have learned more about myself than I could have ever learned on my own.

I have learned how cruel and dark the world really is but also how beautiful and wonderful we forget it to be. I learned how patience, understanding and kindness are important parts of the coveted recipe for a successful relationship and that without trust you ultimately have nothing.

I have learned that I am strong.

During all the heartache and late nights lying awake in bed crying over an ex-boyfriend we sometimes forget about our strength and let are moments of weakness blind us from what we are really made of. We forget that each day we feel defeated by our healing hearts there are still small victories to be celebrated.

With each contorted pose and ache in my body I felt myself getting better.

Getting stronger.

Making progress.

As with relationships and try after try—with Mr. Wrong, Mr. Not So Much, and Mr. Player Player—we get stronger, get wiser, and become better.

Just like with each new pose, with every single relationship we find ourselves always growing, always changing, and most importantly, always learning.

Despite all the pain heartbreak brings us or the anguish love so often causes we find ourselves becoming better versions of ourselves and recovering the person we were always meant to be. We discover our self worth, establish our strength and learn the value of patience.

After an hour of self breakthrough, sweat, and deep breathing we finally get to the end of the hot yoga class.

Lying on the mat with my legs extended and palms facing up I felt a welcoming, cool relief touch the ends of my finger tips. It was a cold, wet towel being given to me by my shirtless instructor. I took the towel and gave him a gracious smile and quickly laid the icy towel on my hot face.

Just as with every journey, every obstacle, and every challenge there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, always something to have been gained, and something to always learn.

I wouldn’t trade any lesson I’ve learned for the world. It’s important when feeling drowned in the moment of loss or heartbreak to always try and look at the bigger picture and try to understand what can be learned from it or what can be gained.

Despite every thought of regret during that hot yoga class, I found myself excited for the next class and buying a monthly membership to my newfound hobby. And despite every guy who put my heart in a blender, I still appreciate the lessons that followed and still seek the love I continue to believe in. My failed relationships molded me into the woman I am today and regardless of my losses I know there is still so much joy to come.

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/love-learning-hot-yoga/feed/2September 2013 Issue: Always Learninghttp://sweetandsage.com/september-2013-issue-always-learning/
http://sweetandsage.com/september-2013-issue-always-learning/#commentsMon, 02 Sep 2013 23:41:07 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=649Happy September! It’s time for the kids to head back to school, but your education doesn’t stop once you become an adult. The September 2013 theme is “Always Learning.” There’s so much out there you don’t know yet, and increasing your knowledge benefits you and everyone in your life. What are you learning this month? How will you challenge what you know (or think you know)? I’ve learned so much about myself since I launched Sweet and Sage back in {Read More}

It’s time for the kids to head back to school, but your education doesn’t stop once you become an adult.

The September 2013 theme is “Always Learning.” There’s so much out there you don’t know yet, and increasing your knowledge benefits you and everyone in your life.

What are you learning this month?

How will you challenge what you know (or think you know)?

I’ve learned so much about myself since I launched Sweet and Sage back in May. I (re)started this website to be a place where I could show the goofier side of myself without having to frame everything in the box of “life coaching.”

For those of you who may not be familiar with my other website, Sage Grayson Coaching, it’s the home of my life coaching business where I help busy women become more organized, happier, and finally put themselves first. I make their lives sweet.

One thing I’ve learned in my life is that opportunities always have pros and cons. It felt good to start Sweet and Sage magazine, but it felt bad when I realized that I’m not at a place (yet) to do all the fabulous things I want to do with it.

On top of that, my life coaching business has experienced a growth spurt this summer (good!), but the added responsibility of Sweet and Sage meant that I wasn’t able to be as devoted to my coaching business (bad!).

And so, though it makes me sad, I must cut back on my involvement in Sweet and Sage. That means fewer articles written by me, but you’ll still be able to get the awesome advice and tips from our contributors.

I hope to return to Sweet and Sage in a more active role in the future and be able to implement some of the big ideas I have for this magazine.

For now, you can find me at Sage Grayson Coaching. I learned that it’s better for me to focus on my business for now so that I won’t burn myself out and be of no help to anybody.

I’m looking for women to share advice with a perfect balance of kindness and wisdom. If that sounds like you, I’d love to have you contribute an article for Sweet and Sage! The October 2013 theme is “Fear.” Click here for the submission guidelines.

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/september-2013-issue-always-learning/feed/1A New Beginning With Old Stuffhttp://sweetandsage.com/a-new-beginning-with-old-stuff/
http://sweetandsage.com/a-new-beginning-with-old-stuff/#respondThu, 29 Aug 2013 08:00:10 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=594This is a guest contribution from Anne Marchessault. Hand-me-downs: one of the most dreaded words for a youngest child like me. Why would I ever want something that is worn and old and not, well, new? We carry this “new is better” notion into our adult lives as we associate new beginnings—the new apartment, the new job, the new body—with new stuff. But what if we didn’t always need those shiny, out-of-the-box goods to start over? What if discovering the {Read More}

Hand-me-downs: one of the most dreaded words for a youngest child like me. Why would I ever want something that is worn and old and not, well, new?

We carry this “new is better” notion into our adult lives as we associate new beginnings—the new apartment, the new job, the new body—with new stuff.

But what if we didn’t always need those shiny, out-of-the-box goods to start over? What if discovering the beauty in someone else’s discarded belongings actually gave character to that next chapter of our life story?

During a different time in my life, I furnished an entire apartment with new, inexpensive-but-build-it-yourself furniture. When I decided to move across the country a few years later, I had no problem saying goodbye to it all. Or rather, calling a “junk” company to come take it away. And I had to pay them to do it. This was after I learned that thrift shops would not even accept my seemingly solid furniture because its resale value was so low.

My buy-use-trash furniture strategy was leftover from living in a college dorm for 4 years. I avoided purchasing valuable or meaningful furnishings because I never knew when a piece would go missing or suffer a sprawling red wine spill with no responsible culprit coming forward. I figured I was just being smart.

When I first saw my new, freshly-painted, one-bedroom apartment a few months back, I was startled by its starkness. Possessing only the clothes on my back (as well as those in a few rolling suitcases dragging behind me), I knew it would take both effort and time to create the cozy space I envisioned for myself. The big box store basics I stocked up on that first weekend only made the apartment feel even more sterile. Plastic.

The choice to go with vintage and antique furniture for the big apartment stuff started as a practical one. Moving into a new place on your own is expensive! And I didn’t want to pay more for something than it was worth. I had done that already.

But as I began spending my Saturdays scouring DC’s auction furniture houses, I found myself feeling increasingly inspired to create a story in decorating my new place through old, interesting pieces that spoke to me and reflected my design aesthetic.

The large, bustling consignments shops were literally filled with unique finds. No warehouse maze to navigate with a scribbled-down code and a prayer. Instead, every nook and cranny housed a vintage or antique piece even more charming than the last. Creaky library card catalogues! Imposing mid-century desk chairs! A bronze-buckled cedar chest that actually smelled like cedar! My senses were stimulated by it all.

I also discovered an added bonus of buying old furniture—no assembly required! Sparing myself the headache and exasperation of stripped screws and missing dowels made furnishing my new apartment feel less like a chore and more like a chance for artistic exploration. And surrounding myself with pieces that had their own story and past made me feel less alone, a part of something bigger.

Beyond having adapted to the sorority lifestyle in college, I admittedly felt timid previously to invest in anything valuable because I didn’t want to tie myself down with something that I wouldn’t be willing to give up for the right partner or the right opportunity.

But where I am now, starting over on my own at 27, I have decided that I know myself and what I like well enough to spend my time and money on something solid and real. I don’t want to live with throwaway possessions while waiting on someone else’s timing.

The new, disposable stuff serves a purpose during those times of transience—college, studying abroad, temporary jobs—but it’s the old pieces that were made to last through everything we go through in life. I don’t know about you, but I think our present happiness (including a stylish space to hang out in) is something worth investing in.

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/a-new-beginning-with-old-stuff/feed/0New Series: Health and Fitness for a Busy Lifehttp://sweetandsage.com/new-series-health-and-fitness-for-a-busy-life/
http://sweetandsage.com/new-series-health-and-fitness-for-a-busy-life/#respondTue, 27 Aug 2013 08:00:22 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=605This is a guest contribution from Lisa Jemison. Lisa will be writing a new series for Sweet and Sage about incorporating health and fitness practices into her busy life. Hi there! I’m Lisa Jemison. This is me in all the busy-ness and blessings of my life (and a piece by Leigh Standley, an artist who speaks straight to my heart). I share this to show you a bit of who I am. I’m 33 years old. I’m the lucky wife {Read More}

This is a guest contribution from Lisa Jemison. Lisa will be writing a new series for Sweet and Sage about incorporating health and fitness practices into her busy life.

Hi there! I’m Lisa Jemison. This is me in all the busy-ness and blessings of my life (and a piece by Leigh Standley, an artist who speaks straight to my heart). I share this to show you a bit of who I am.

I’m 33 years old. I’m the lucky wife of my best friend, Chad, of 7 years who I met in the grounding and spiritual Grand Tetons of Wyoming. I’m a mother of 2 adorable, sweet little girls who inspire me every day.

I’m a business owner, I’m in a leadership position at my full-time job, I’m a friend, a daughter, a dog-owner, a volunteer, a board member, an athlete, and in September I will have moved 3 times (family in tow!) in just 1 year.

In the last year I’ve switched jobs, started a business, moved to a new state, lived in 2 separate rentals, got pregnant and lost the baby, and we’re buying a new house this summer (we close on in a few weeks—I can’t wait!).

Holy cow, man—my life is busy! I get tired just reading that list.

I’m busy in a way that you just can’t understand unless you’ve done it yourself, and I’m so used to it now that honestly I barely remember the times when I wasn’t this busy. It only really strikes me when I read Facebook posts from my non-parenting friends sometimes about the 3-hour nap they just took, their solo vacation, or the book they just read in one sitting.

I’m not knocking them at all, but wow! “People still do that?” I think. Yeah, they do. It’s called down time. I’m not complaining. I just don’t have a lot of it.

So when Sage asked me to write a guest post about my fitness goals and the tools and strategies I use to be fit, I was really excited. Yeah, it’s something else on my list. But it’s an opportunity to write about something I love, to reflect on it, to grow, to relearn the lessons, and to connect with you all about the stories from your own lives.

Basically, to pay it forward, which I believe is ultimately why we’re here in this life. I’m a scientist by training. I once traveled to the Andes Mountains in Chile to study guanacos (they’re cousins with the llama) and have spent countless hours chasing dragonflies, tracking turtles, and learning how bugs grow their wings. I love science. So it’s natural for me to ask loads of questions to investigate WHY people get fit, and how.

I want to know what stops them, what propels them, what calls us above everything else to succeed. Namely, my principal guinea pig in the experiment is me. My new(ish) blog, InquiryFitness, is a space for me go deep into what gets me there on my journey, what gets in my way, and to face my own internal and external struggles that challenge me every day to rise above if I’m going to get where I want to be.

But it isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s just downright tough. And I promise you that every single one of my obligations, all of my commitments listed above, and each of my responsibilities comes with its own to do list and set of individual needs from me, which I can easily translate into reasons why I can’t work out today because I simply don’t have the time.

But I do it anyway. And I’m so grateful for that. I’m excited to take you on this journey with me and to hear how it helps or inspires you.

Thank you for reading my first post at Sweet and Sage! Here are some sneak peeks about articles I have in the mix. Stay tuned!

]]>http://sweetandsage.com/new-series-health-and-fitness-for-a-busy-life/feed/04 Steps to Refresh Your Self and Your Spacehttp://sweetandsage.com/4-steps-to-refresh-your-self-and-your-space/
http://sweetandsage.com/4-steps-to-refresh-your-self-and-your-space/#commentsThu, 22 Aug 2013 08:00:58 +0000http://sweetandsage.com/?p=580This is a guest contribution from Emily Conley. It’s August. It’s hot. You just took a vacation, but now you feel like you need a vacation because of your vacation. School is starting soon, and you miss the smell of just sharpened pencils and blank notebooks, and the clean slate of a new school year. Or maybe you’re about to start another year of college, but your summer internship is leaving you burned out and exhausted. You need a fresh {Read More}

It’s August. It’s hot. You just took a vacation, but now you feel like you need a vacation because of your vacation. School is starting soon, and you miss the smell of just sharpened pencils and blank notebooks, and the clean slate of a new school year. Or maybe you’re about to start another year of college, but your summer internship is leaving you burned out and exhausted. You need a fresh start but don’t have time or money to run away to Fiji. This article is for you!

We all need a refresher once in awhile. This isn’t an exhaustive strategy, but tackling these 4 steps is doable in a month: try one a week. By September, you’ll be ready to take on the world with fresh energy and enthusiasm!

1. Clean out your closet.

Un-glamorous, yes. Effective? Also yes. Gretchen Rubin, in her New York Times best-selling book, The Happiness Project, made clearing out her closet one of her first tasks. She attests that outer order creates inner calm. It also creates energy and motivation, as you see the tangible result of your efforts. You’ll also find you have more time in the morning and less frustration when choosing what to wear when you actually love each item left in your closet.

If cleaning out your closet seems overwhelming, ask a friend for help! She can give you honest feedback on your clothes and keep you company while you work.

2. Switch up your decor.

To spruce up the rest of your space, you don’t need to spend out on new stuff. Try mixing it up and moving it around, like moving throw pillows from your couch to your bedroom. I wrote a post on 12 ways to decorate for spring using what you already have, but the principles like grouping brightly colored objects together for a unique display, framing fabric, and moving furniture around apply to redecorating for any season.

Another quick tip for instantly refreshed décor is to take down your curtains. It sounds crazy, but even removing just the valance lets in so much more light, creating a bright, open, and fresh feel for the whole room. Fresh flowers feel luxurious while adding color and life.

3. Have fun.

Set aside 1 hour every day to do something you find fun. Really, 60 minutes out of the 1,440 in your day is a small investment. Reading, exercising, sitting on the porch with a cold beverage and a magazine, working on a craft project, photography…the options are endless.

What do you like to do for fun? If you can’t answer that question, it’s been far too long. Try reconnecting with a hobby from your childhood, or try some of your friends’ hobbies. You might discover a new passion! That leads me to the fourth step…

4. Do something new.

Studies show that novelty and change do contribute to happiness, so during this week, make a point of trying something new. A new restaurant, a new exercise class, a new book, a new flavor of coffee creamer. These mini-adventures that change your routine from the “same old, same old,” even slightly, will re-energize and refresh your mind and body.

How about you? Are you feeling the late-summer slump? What can you do TODAY to refresh your surroundings or yourself?